Bebop Spoken There

Christian McBride: ''I believe we are living in a historically embarrassing moment in American history.'' - Downbeat December 2025

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18061 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 17 years ago. 1025 of them this year alone and, so far, 39 this month (Dec. 14).

From This Moment On ...

DECEMBER 2025

Fri 19: Fraser Urquhart @ The Lit & Phil, Newcastle. 1:00pm. £8.00. SOLD OUT! .
Fri 19: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free..
Fri 19: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00..
Fri 19: Castillo Nuevo @ Hotel Gotham, Newcastle. 5:00pm. Free. .
Fri 19: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy..
Fri 19: Paul Skerritt @ Middlesbrough Town Hall. 7:00pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes. .
Fri 19: Giles Strong Quartet @ Sunderland Minster. 7:30pm. Old Black Cat Jazz Club..
Fri 19: Creakin’ Bones & the Xmas Dinners @ The White Room, Stanley. 7:45pm. £13.01 (inc. bf)..
Fri 19: Mark Toomey Quintet @ The Traveller’s Rest, Darlington. 8:00pm. Opus 4 Jazz Club.

Sat 20: Jazz Attack @ The Glasshouse, Gateshead. 11:00am. Free.
Sat 20: Alexia Gardner @ FIKA Art Gallery, Morpeth. 6:30pm. Gardner, Alan Law, Jude Murphy. SOLD OUT!
Sat 20: Joseph Carville Trio @ The Vault, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. CANCELLED!
Sat 20: Ray Stubbs R&B All Stars @ Billy Bootleggers, Ouseburn, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free.
Sat 20: Hoodoo Blues @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:15pm (doors). £14.25, £11.55. Dance class, social dancing, live music & Xmas Party. Live music from 9:00pm - Ruth Lambert, Giles Strong, Ian Paterson & John Bradford (jazz and blues).
Sat 20: John Pope Quintet @ Blank Studios, Newcastle. 7:30-8:30pm. £7.70 (inc. bf). Album recording session.

Sun 21: New ’58 Jazz Collective @ Jackson’s Wharf, Hartlepool. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Paul Skerritt @ Hibou Blanc, Newcastle. 2:00pm. ‘Xmas Swingalong’. Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Sun 21: Ruth Lambert Trio @ Juke Shed, Union Quay, North Shields. 3:00-5:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: 4B @ The Ticket Office, Whitley Bay. 3:00pm. Free.
Sun 21: Strictly Smokin’ Big Band @ o2 City Hall, Newcastle. 6:00pm. £35.80., £33.25., £31.00.
Sun 21: The Globe Xmas Party @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Free. Live music.
Sun 21: Tweed River Jazz Band @ The Barrels Ale House, Berwick. 7:30pm. Free.

Mon 22: Harmony Brass @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

Tue 23: Paul Skerritt @ Chakh Dhoom, Jesmond, Newcastle. 7:00pm. Indian restaurant. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Wed 24: Vieux Carré Jazzmen @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 24: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:30pm. ‘The A Capella Sessions’. Gardner, Paula Gardner, Alexia Hope Gardner Diamany.
Wed 24: Paul Skerritt @ Mambo Wine & Dine, South Shields. 1:30pm. Skerritt w. backing tapes.

Thu 25: Alexia Gardner @ The Townhouse, Bridge St., Morpeth. 1:30-4:00pm. ‘All About the Bass Sessions’. Alexia Gardner, Paula Gardner, Jude Murphy.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Jam Session @ Jazz Café, Newcastle February 18

(Collective) Peter Gilligan (pno); Paul Grainger (bs); Paul Wight (dms); James Harrison (pno); James Carmichael (dms); Elliott Todd (tpt); Paul Gowland (ten/alt); Paul Ruddick (alt); Ian Forbes (dms); Ray Burns (vcl/hca); Joe Fowler (tmb); Kathryn Lowdon, Claire Kelly (vcl); Anth Ord (bs) + .....
The second of the fortnightly jams hosted by Peter Gilligan and co was another successful evening with some excellent instrumentals and vocals.
Too many to describe in detail suffice to say that nobody that I heard disappointed and there were more to come after I left - apologies for not hanging around for the grand finale even though our own Kath Jobes, James Robson, Belinda Voshtina and several others were "waiting in the wings". No doubt their moment came as I was boarding the number 27.
Peter, Paul and Paul (Mary couldn't make it) started things Bouncing with Bud, later James Harrison sat in for Cantaloupe and So What with James Carmichael on drums and Elliott Todd on trumpet. We'll be hearing a lot more of these two young guys in the future, I'm sure. Are they Jambone graduates I wonder? Ian Forbes, who graduated before graduation was invented, sat in and displayed his flawless technique - not without a touch of humour!
Kathryn Lowdon followed up Fine and Mellow with God Bless the Child.. This gal can holler the blues like as if she was born in downtown Kansas City. Big Joe Fowler blew trombone on this one - despite an altercation with a lamp shade suspended from the ceiling - they don't call him Big Joe because he isn't, he is! Ray Burns sang and played Sweet Lorraine. Elegantly attired, as is his trademark, Ray never fails to hit the spot. Paul Gowland blew some equally elegant alto. He later switched to tenor when the Ruddick Paul arrived with alto and the two horns riffed behind Claire Kelly who had a couple of bites at the cherry with Is You Is or Is you Ain't my Baby? and, later, Ain't Nobody's Business if I do. Sounded good. The Gowland Paul blew Darn That Dream on tenor and despite some reed problems he was on the money. Caravan had 4 Pauls (see pic.) and a Peter aboard including 3 PGs!
I've missed a whole lot of happenings out so get back in two weeks time to catch up - you won't regret it.
Photos.
Lance.

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